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3.49 AVERAGE
3.49 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
It's like a beat poem and a fever dream had a child.
I wanted to be obsessed with this book, to give it a solid five stars. To be fair to Vandermeer, if I had read the first book in the trilogy I may have understood more than fleeting passages of beauty and been able to gain a sense of a narrative strain. Or perhaps the quantum somewhen-ness of all my confusion really was part of the point. This book was the type I enjoyed with my eyes blurred, not trying to look too closely at it. I am grateful for its splendor, but wouldn’t recommend it to any of my friends.
3 stars feels a little unfair for such an interesting book that I really enjoyed reading. Unfortunately I think I failed to grasp a lot of the narrative, as large parts went over my head. This will be one I'll be rereading at some point in the future.
Had I known that this genre was called "New Weird," I may have approached it with a different mindset, instead I was a little confused and struggled to make sense of parts.
A 3 star review shouldn't deter any potential readers, and it definitely hasn't put me off Jeff VanderMeer. The Borne universe is an interesting place and one that I look forward to exploring further.
Had I known that this genre was called "New Weird," I may have approached it with a different mindset, instead I was a little confused and struggled to make sense of parts.
A 3 star review shouldn't deter any potential readers, and it definitely hasn't put me off Jeff VanderMeer. The Borne universe is an interesting place and one that I look forward to exploring further.
I liked his Southern Reach ones. Like a lot. Not a fan of this one. =[
I've tried to read it multiple times, and just can't get into it, the writing style isn't for me
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I love some aspects of this and the writing is beautiful as ever but what the actual fuck is going on Jeff
Felt very disjointed and the like the dialogue was always losing sight of where it was going.
Some of the writing is definitely beautiful and thought-provoking. That being said, the plot is basically incomprehensible, to the point where I learnt more from reading the blurb instead of the novel itself. This definitely feels like a case of sacrificing any sort of cohesiveness whatsoever in service of going overboard with the artistic writing. Would not recommend.
I honestly might not be smart enough to understand this book. *Chanting* Borne Borne Borne Borne Borne!!